Festival Report: Lollapalooza India Shone a Light on Indian Indie and Showcased Top-Notch International Acts  

The sight of American rockers Jane’s Addiction’s frontman and founder of Lollapalooza in 1991, Perry Farrell, at Mumbai’s Mahalakshmi Race Course walking around the festival grounds like a proud father after U.S. rock outfit The Strokes headlined day two of the festival was quite something to behold.  

Farrell, who produces Lollapalooza with C3 Presents, teamed up with promoters and entertainment platform BookMyShow to bring the traveling music festival to Asia for the first time on January 28th and 29th, 2023. Although the event received some backlash for its lineup on social media when it was announced last year, that sentiment wasn’t felt on ground this past weekend from the thousands of festival-goers who attended it.  

For a city that is always facing a space problem, Mumbai’s Mahalakshmi Race Course was quite the find by the organizers. The best way to get to the venue was by train and once we did arrive inside, the sheer magnitude and size of the area was massive. With four huge stages, quite a trek away from each other (there was plenty of walking involved over both days), attendees needed to plan ahead as to which acts they wanted to see perform at either the BUDX Stage, Walkers & Co Stage, NEXA Stage or the Perry’s X Budweiser Beats Stage.  

We arrived on day one of the festival just as Pune soul/easy-listening group Easy Wanderlings were finishing their set for the opening slot at the event at the NEXA Stage and just in time to see post-rockers Aswekeepsearching kick things off at the BUDX Stage. The group’s set featured songs such as “Reminiscence,” “Maybe There,” “Chasing Light” and “Rooh,” and included backup singers Zoe Siddharth, Urgen Yolmo and Meg D’Souza as well as two dancers who joined the band for their performance. At this point, there was a sizeable crowd at 2.30 pm, with folks braving the Mumbai heat to make the most of Lollapalooza.  

There were a number of seating areas, art installations, a food court, bars near each stage and even a designated smoking zone spread across the festival area.  

Back at the NEXA Stage, Mumbai-based singer-songwriter Maalavika Manoj aka Mali offered up her brand of synth-pop as she breezed through songs off her 2017 EP Rush and 2021 album Caution to the Wind, including “Age of Limbo,” “Mundane,” “Absolute,” “Rush,” “Horoscope,” “Walk Away,” “Mango Showers” and her most recent release, “Ashes.” Mali – who juggled guitar and keyboard duties – was backed by a tight band that consisted of guitarist Apurv Isaac, drummer Jehangir Jehangir, bassist Adil Kurwa, keyboardist Samarth C and backup singers Mallika Barot and Aria Nanji.  

While Mumbai outfit The Yellow Diary rocked at the BUDX Stage and nu-disco duo Madboy/Mink (who were backed by a horn section) got folks dancing at the Perry’s X Budweiser Beats Stage, New Delhi-based folk-metal band Bloodywood took over the Walkers & Co Stage. The metal outfit brought their heavy sound to Lollapalooza as they entranced fans with their fusion sounds, fiery riffs, flute solos, pulsating percussion work and hard-hitting lyrics.  

As the weather seemed to get cooler at 5 pm on the BUDX Stage, U.S.-based indie-pop band Japanese Breakfast marked their India debut. The group – headed by Korean-American musician Michelle Zauner – showcased their acoustic and pop-rock tunes as Zauner was all smiles throughout their set. Another American artist, singer-songwriter and producer Cheslea Cutler, also made her India debut shortly after at the Walkers & Co Stage. Cutler’s heartfelt pop tunes were well-received by attendees.  

Over at the NEXA Stage, Mumbai-bred producer Sanaya Ardeshir aka Sandunes curated quite the set for Lollapalooza. The artist’s live performance featured guest artists such as U.S.-based singer-songwriter Ramya Pothuri, hip-hop artist MC Altaf and singer KAVYA. Sandunes was also backed by three-fifths of Indo-American prog/rock band Skyharbor: guitarist Keshav Dhar, bassist Krishna Jhaveri and drummer Aditya Ashok. Members from instrumental horn outfit Bombay Brass completed her ensemble.  

Next up at the BUDX Stage was Punjab-bred rapper AP Dhillon. Before the set, there was a sense of hype from attendees as folks built this up to be quite an experience. For die-hard fans it was unmissable, however, others felt that the set was a bit underwhelming with a lot of panache and no substance.  

One thing is for sure, in this day and age, no one is making rock music the way American band Greta Van Fleet is. Yes, the group has been heavily compared to English rockers Led Zeppelin and vocalist Josh Kiszka’s singing has been associated with Robert Plant, but so what? For rock enthusiasts assembled at the Walkers & Co Stage, Greta Van Fleet packed a ton with bluesy elements, a vivacious rhythm section and of course soaring vocals, especially on the rousing “Black Smoke Rising.”  

To end day one, attendees had a choice to pick from the dance music served up by American producer Zhu at the Perry’s X Budweiser Beats Stage or the singalong tracks offered by American pop-rock band Imagine Dragons at the BUDX Stage. Imagine Dragons marked their India debut by opening their set with “My Life” before jumping into the anthemic “Believer,” which got the crowd singing along. Vocalist Dan Reynolds also made a soulful speech about love and how the band is very happy to finally be performing in India. The band went on to perform other hit tracks across their 18-song set list which included “Thunder,” “Bad Liar,” “Radioactive” and closing with “Walking The Wire.”  

Day one ended with pyro effects just before the performances finished and although folks were tuckered out from all the walking, the hydra stations set up at the festival proved to be valuable towards the end of the night. Onto day two of Lollapalooza India. 

The second and final day of Lollapalooza India was a much cooler one weather-wise since it kept the harsh Mumbai heat away, thankfully. We got in midday through the first act, Aadya, who was performing pop tunes from his just-released album Seventeen at the NEXA Stage. Bombay Brass, the Mumbai instrumental horn outfit led by saxophonist Rhys Sebastian, brought their snazzy sounds to the BUDX Stage and played songs off their self-titled 2020 EP, bringing to the fore flavorful melodies, solos and rhythms. Back at the NEXA Stage, sibling duo Simetri performed their songs “Dreamers In The Sun,” “Ego” and “On My Mind.” 

Soon after at the same stage, New Delhi-bred singer-songwriter Tanmaya Bhatnagar showcased her soft, mellow and laidback acoustic-leaning tunes. Bhatnagar performed in English and Hindi, and played her tracks that included “Careful It’s My Heart,” “Kya Tum Naraaz Ho?” and “Kyun Hota Hai.” Over at the BUDX Stage, there was quite a legion of fans that congregated to hear Chennai indie-rockers The F16s. The band put on quite a show and got fans chanting the group’s name out loud in unison. Frontman Josh Fernandez was at his effervescent best, even taking time to lie down on a couch the band brought on stage with them. The group ironically had a lot of humans bouncing up and down as they played their ethereal track, “Sucks To Be Human.”  

American singer-songwriter Raveena’s set had a retro and joyous vibe to it as she performed tracks such as “Headaches,” “If Only,” her Vince Staples collab “Secrets” and a cover of “Dum Maaro Dum,” which sent the crowd into a tizzy. Making quite the splash with her India debut, Raveena’s performance was also a celebration of femininity as showcased by her through her super free, comfortable and happy onstage persona.

Mumbai singer-songwriter Tejas and his band of sublime musicians which also consisted of a horn section (Bombay Brass’ third contribution to the fest) brought over his brand of pop melodies, strong songwriting and infectious vocals over to the NEXA Stage. The artist performed his tracks including “Lead,” “The Bombay Doors,” “Is Anyone Listening” (for which he called out his flatmate, Abhimanyu Rathore, to share guitar duties on stage), “Forget Conversation,” “Ruby,” “Story” and “Figure 8,” as well as two unreleased songs, “Some Kind of Nothing” and “Museum.” 

Liverpool indie rockers The Wombats brought quite a lot of laughs to the BUDX Stage with their British humor. Their music, however, is something they take quite seriously and they rocked out with plenty of energy, groovy sections and steely guitar work on songs such as “Lemon to a Knife Fight” and “Pink Lemonade.” The band’s mascot, a wombat of course, also joined the group on stage with a few dance moves.  

Mumbai musician Ambika Nayak aka Kayan made the Walkers & Co Stage her own as she came out donned in a striking outfit and delivered a showstopping performance with songs such as “Be Alright” and the unreleased “Waste My Time.” Simultaneously, at the NEXA Stage, on their return to India for the third time, American ambient-pop band Cigarettes After Sex brought their wall of sound and made attendees happy when they performed their smash hit “Apocalypse.” Although a sizeable crowd did gather for the band’s set, a festival is probably not the best place to hear their music.  

The BUDX Stage, which hosted singer-songwriter Prateek Kuhad, and Perry’s X Budweiser Beats Stage which accommodated hip-hop artist DIVINE had two of India’s biggest artists clashing at the same time. Attendees flocked to both stages as DIVINE was at his lofty best, spitting fiery bars and offering his high-octane self to a packed set where he performed material from his latest album Gunehgar. Kuhad, on his part, delivered quite a resounding set and also performed material from his most recent album The Way That Lovers Do and closed quite emphatically with the smash hit “cold/mess.”  

K-pop megastar Jackson Wang marked his India debut by taking to the Walkers & Co Stage at Lollapalooza. The artist sang, danced and interacted with his numerous fans throughout his set delivering a polished pop performance. The singer also let his fans know that he has been waiting to come perform in India for the longest time and was happy that it had finally happened.  

Over at the NEXA Stage, a specially curated set called House of Hashbass, by New Delhi-bred bassist Harshit Misra aka Hashbass, was underway. Misra and his band featuring seasoned multi-instrumentalist and singer Sidd Coutto, drummer Lindsay D’Mello and keyboardist Brent Tauro indulged in some slick electro-pop and synth sounds. Guest artists such as Kayan, Hanumankind, Burrah and Rashmeet Kaur also joined Misra on stage, which made for some wonderful collabs.  

Day two’s headliners were a choice between The Strokes at the BUDX Stage or American DJ Diplo at the Perry’s X Budweiser Beats Stage. For those wanting to bust a move, Diplo was a good choice to dance the night away to as he served up a mix of classics while also fusing in Indian sounds during his set. However, if one wanted to rock out, The Strokes were the perfect choice.  

The American band – who also made their India debut – gave fans what they wanted: Gritty guitars, powerful drums, punchy basslines and exhilarating vocals. The Strokes’ set included songs such as “Barely Legal,” “Juicebox” and a rare live performance of “Vision of Division.” The band then called on the stage Shillong-bred guitarist Hammarsing Kharhmar aka Exhibition (who has worked with Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. and vocalist Julian Casablancas previously). The Strokes then played with the audience going off stage and coming back on multiple occasions before playing out their set with tracks that included “Reptilia,” “Last Nite” and closing the first edition of Lollapalooza India with the fierce “Take It or Leave It.”  

With that, Lollapalooza India was over. After all the bickering, rants on social media and pointing out what could be better, what was seen at the end of the festival was a bunch of happy attendees going back home with smiles on their faces. It’s quite an undertaking to put on a festival of this magnitude anywhere in the world, let alone India and especially a crowded city like Mumbai. Kudos to the organizers, volunteers, people working backstage and at the front of the house to make sure things went off without a glitch. This is just the beginning, and it’s safe to say that the first edition of the festival was a success. In a social media post from his time spent in the country, Perry Farrell said, “Things are looking up India. Yes they are…” Indeed they are because the organizers announced on Monday that the fest’s Indian edition will return next year. And that really is music to our ears.  

All photos courtesy of Lollapalooza India/Fleck Media